The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-02-18
ST. VALENTINES DAY.
It's Origin, and Changes in It's
Observance.


of February. as she placed handful OF
light gauzy, variously- colored cards in
her mothers lap.
Mine are the handsomest " declared
her brother Dura; ''see II they amt
Girls ALWAYS choose such dish-washy
thing'r ,,.
Mrs. Wilcox laid down her maya
zine, and taking the valentines, looked
them over carefully. She smiled grave
ly at the gay-colored, ridiculous carica-
lures of Dura's; evidently Gracc's
pretty triiies pleased her best
But Dura did not observe his moth
er's look. '..rhere, that one" he said,
pointing to an atrociously comical
picture representing donkey braying.
and man sitting astride its back, with
big, crooked nose and wall eyes, sing
ing to q girl at n neighborlng window;
~ sing TO you my valentine,
The love feel for you;
MY donkey feeds on dew,
But l can't make this rhyme"
THAT am going to send to johnny
Rand. You know he's crcss-eyed and
has got big nose, and that will just
make him tearing
"Dura, you must not do any such
thing" said his mother, very decided
ly. GAS a bit of i'n, harmless joke
between good friends, nothing need be
said against valentines; but to send
these anonymously to an enemy, or to
any extremely sensitive person may do
much mischief. johnny is not to
blame for his eyes and irregular feat
\ ures. and your doggerel valentine
would assurcdly hurt his feelings"
''Well. | won't then; will send it
instead to poor little Jessie Caldmon.
the Irish girl; she will think it nice
enough"
"Those are horrid-looking pictures,
Dura," observed his mother, handing
the collection back to him. "They are
not much like the valentines they used
to send to one another in good Mr..
Pepys' day."
''Oh, tell us about it, mother" plead
ed Grace. When was that? Did the
boys and girls back, oh, ever so long
ago, choose valentines, too?"
"The custom of sending valentines is
as old MS the hills" answered Mrs.
Wilcox, ''and at one time ii was fash
ionable for older persons, the married
as well as the single, to buy presents
for valentines. Some of these pres
ents were very costly ones. Pieces of
jewelry costing thousands of dollars
were not unusual, though cheaper
things like gloves, stockings and sweet
meats were more common. This MIR.
Pepys. mentioned. was gentleman
who lived more than two hundred years
ago, in the time of Charles II. of Eng
land, and kept an interesting diary.
He speaks of many of the curious Gus
toms of the day. and tells us one time
how he sent his wife stockings and gar.
ters for her valentine. One year he
says his wife CHANGED TO be his valen-
tine, and grumblcs because it will cost
him five pounds, which was a good
deal of money in those days. At an
other time he gave her a Turkey stone
-1net with diamonds for valentine.
"But perhaps you would like best
what he has to say about valentines in
another place" Mrs, Wilcox reached
for book in an open case and turned
some of the leaves. YES here il is: Il
find that Mrs, Piercc's little girl is my
valentine, she having drawn me, which
| was not sorry for, it easing me of
something more than must have CIV
en- to others. But here do first OBJ
serve the fashion of drawing notices as
well as name, so that Pierce, who drew
my wife, did also draw a motto. and
this girl drew another for me. What
mine was forgot, but my wife's was;
..Most courteous and most fairr' which,
as il may be used as an anagram upon
each name. might be very pretty. "
"Oh, how fuunyl'' exclaimed Dura,
but l believe l wouldn't just like to
be drawn as in a lottery; I'd rather
choose my own valentine.
THAT was an old English fashion.
The young folks we're in the habit on
g. Valentines Day of meeting togeth-
or. and an equal number of girls and
bows would write their true or feigned